An Unfortunate Trip to Angara
by SquiggleSmurf
Summary: *Based on the glitch in GS2 that allows you to return to Angara* When Felix discovers how to get to upper Angara and return to villages like Kalay and Vale, the group of adepts are ecstatic. However, there are some things that aren't meant to explored or returned to. The Weyard heroes are about to learn this the hard way.


Hello all! And welcome to my first Golden Sun fanfic! I've been a fan of Golden Sun for quite some time now, and I have this story idea in my head for awhile. And now, I finally found the time to write it. As I mentioned in my summary, this story is based on the glitch in Golden Sun II: The Lost Age, where you can reach normally unexplorable parts of Angara, like the parts you could explore in Golden Sun I. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't known Golden Sun. I'm just a fan with a story idea.

* * *

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And, it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call-

"Flint, what are you doing?"

"Ack!"

The shock of hearing the voice behind him caused the Earth Djinni to yelp out and jump up in surprise. This, in turn, caused him to lose balance on the rail of the ship and fall backwards onto the deck. Scrambling to his feet, Flint looked up to see a Fire Djinni giving him an odd look.

"Ah, hi there, Fever!" Flint quickly said, a little nervous. "You know… I was just… um…"

"Seriously, who were you even talking to?" the Fire Djinni questioned again. "There's no one else up here, not since the dwarves finished installing the cannon on the ship."

"Well, you see…," Flint muttered, his eyes frantically looking about. Finally, he sighed. "Ah, forget it. You wouldn't understand,"

With that, Flint jumped upon the rail and returned to his previous perch, gazing out at the sea.

Fever groaned and shook her head. That Earth Djinni sure was odd. Pushing Flint out of her thoughts, the Fire Djinni walked over to the Lemurian's Ship latest upgrade. Just a few moments ago, the Dwarves from Loho finished installing the cannon onto ship, as their way of thanking the group of Adepts for destroying a wall. Perhaps a bit weird (who thanks someone with a large, ancient cannon?), but the group was in a great need of one. The Mars Lighthouse was past Prox, and if they were going to make it to Prox, they needed to blast away the glaciers that blocked the Northern town. Fever continued to admire the large weapon, inspired by such a device that could unleash such grand fire energy.

Several minutes later, steps sounded from the ladder cast over the side of the Lemurian ship. Within a few moments, Felix had successfully made his way up and jumped onto the deck. He looked at the new cannon with a satisfied regard and nodded his head in approval.

"Finally!" Felix responded with great vindication. "With this, we can make it to the Northern Lands without any hindrances. And then, we can light the final Lighthouse and restore balance to Weyard. We mustn't waste any more time. Onwards, to Prox!"

The Venus adept paused for a moment, excepting chants of verification from his comrades. However, all he could make out were small mutters from the ground below. Narrowing his eyes a bit, Felix turned back around and peeked down, over the rail. There, he saw his companions, standing on the beach in a disorganized fashion and engaged in soft chatter.

"Guys!" Felix shouted down to them. The others looked up see their leader give them a slight glare. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Felix!" Sheba exclaimed. "Maybe you have an idea! How do you think the Dwarves reproduce?"

The brown-haired adept paused and gaped for a moment. "…what?"

"You see, while we were walking along, Jenna brought this up, and it's a very valid question."

The auburn Mars adept nodded in agreement. "I mean, we didn't see any female Dwarves. How can they be a surviving race if they don't have any women?"

"So we've been trying to come up with ideas of how they can do it," Sheba finished explaining.

Ivan cleared his throat and brought a hand to his chest. "I personally think that they reproduce asexually. It makes the most sense, since they do not have any females in their settlement."

"Yeah, that definitely makes sense," Garet said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Please! The only explanation could be is that they clone themselves! They're all cloned mutants!"

"Garet, you're ridiculous," Ivan retorted at the red-haired Mars adept. "If they were all clones, they would look exactly alike. Your explanation is invalid."

"I still say you're both wrong," Piers interjected himself in the argument. "The most logical explanation is that the dwarves must possess both feminine and masculine parts."

Isaac facepalmed. "No… just no."

"Yeah, Piers," Jenna chimed in, concurring with Issac's disapproval. "That's downright disgusting. I think Ivan's idea makes the most sense."

"I don't know," Mia spoke up. "I think there's substance to Garet's theory. Maybe if-"

"No!" Ivan sharply cut her off. "There's no possible way they could be cloning! They must be asexual!"

"But what if they found a way?" Sheba imposed.

"I still stay they possess both parts!"

"Ugh! Piers!"

With that, the group of adepts went into a talking frenzy. The teenagers talked over one another loudly in attempt to get their point across, but nothing could be coherently heard. Felix stared at his group, dumbfounded for a few moments. Were they really arguing over the mating habits of a certain race of people? Finally, the Venus adept could no longer stand the loud chatter. He took a deep breath.

"_**GUYS!"**_

The group of young adepts immediately stopped their arguing and looked up again at their leader, whose face was now red and he appeared to be breathing heavily.

Glaring out of annoyance at his companions, he said, "Can you forget your senseless arguing and get on board? Need I remind you that we have a mission? If we don't act fast, Weyard is going to be chilled to the bone!"

Felix's unleash of anger seemed to do the trick. The adepts calmed down and began taking turns up the ladder onto the deck, though some still muttered about those 'odd dwarves.'

"Finally," Felix gave a slight sigh of relief, seeing his fellow adepts come onto the ship. "As soon as you're ready, take your positions. I want to get to Prox as soon as possible."

With that, Felix ran over towards the bow of the ship and stood before the captain's wheel, checking the path before them. After attaching the Float Gem, Ivan began climbing up to the bird's nest. Everyone else took their assigned spots on the deck of the ship, making sure all sides were covered in case of monster attacks on the sea. Noticing that everyone else seemed to be ready, Felix prepared himself to start the ship and take them off to sea. He looked across the shore to make sure they were safe from behind from any monsters or rocks. And it was then that he noticed something particular.

Felix noticed that right where the beach ended a little ways down, there was a narrow path of grass between a mountain and the edge of the sea. Normally, Felix wouldn't be interested in such a regular patch, but he couldn't help but notice the small gap the path created. It was a tight gap, but maybe, just maybe…

"Hey, Piers?" Felix called out to the Lemurian, as he was the closest adept to him. "Can you come over here for a second?"

Piers left his post at the upper port of the ship to join Felix at the steering wheel. "What is it, Felix?"

"Do you see that little gap right there? Between the mountain and the ocean?" Felix asked, pointing in the distance.

"Hmmm…," The Lemurian squinted and leaned forward a bit. "You mean all the way in front of us? Yes, I see it."

"Do you think it would be possible to land the ship and exit out the other side?"

Piers thought for a moment. "Well, it might be a tight squeeze, but I believe it's very plausible."

"Alright, thanks for you input," Felix responded and turned his attention towards the rest of the boat. "Listen up everyone! Change of plans! We're not going to Prox, yet! There's something else that needs to be done."

The rest of the group did not react so enthusiastically at this news.

"What!? Are you serious!?" Jenna shouted from the stern of the ship.

Garet complained, "Is this going to be another stupid side quest?"

Sheba rolled her eyes. "What's it this time? Another lonely animal that needs a companion?"

"Or do you expect us to travel all the way back to Yallam so Sunshine can forge us some more weapons and armors that much weaker than the current gear we have now?" asked Piers flatly.

Isaac shook his head and raised his hands in exasperation. "I don't understand your leadership, Felix. Talking about the reproductive system of another group of people is a complete waste of time, but going on some unproductive quest is reasonable?"

"Hey, those questions aren't pointless! Lonesome George showed us that… wait, forget it. That's not important right now," Felix ceased defending his reasoning for the random little quests and returned to his main point. "Look, this is different, and I think everyone will appreciate this: I think I found a way for us to explore the rest of Angara."

That announcement surely brightened up the mood. The rest of the adepts left their posts and joined Felix near the captain's wheel, curious and excited.

Jenna's eyes lit up as she asked, "You mean we could go back to Vale!?"

Felix nodded. "I think so! We just need to get this ship hovering forwards towards that gap between the mountain and the sea, and jump off to the other side where the rest of Angara awaits! We'll be able to visit Vale and any other place in northern Angara!"

The rest of the group cheered, happy and thrilled to explore a place they thought was unreachable for the time being. They resumed their previous positions, and Felix prepared himself to start the ship off again. However, just when he was about to give Ivan the signal to take off, an aging voice sounded.

"Felix, is this true?"

A bit astonished, Felix jumped slightly and turned around to see an old man walking towards him, a sense of frantic worry in his eyes.

"Kraden," the eighteen year old stated, a little shocked to see the group's non-adept companion since he had been spending most of his time below the deck, studying some ancient scrolls. "What do you mean, "is this true"?"

"Going to Angara. You don't truly mean to try to get to Vale?"

"Kraden, I know you said that it would be too difficult to reach Vale," Felix began, giving a slight grin, "but I think I found a way. So I'm going to test it out." The brown-haired Venus adept then turned his attention to the Jupiter adept in the bird's nest. "Ivan, can you get the ship hovering?"

Ivan nodded and prepared his Hover Psynergy. In a matter of seconds, the Lemurian ship began floating above the sea. Felix then took control of the wheel and started to to fly the ship across the beach.

"No, no, this is all wrong," Kraden softly muttered to himself, nervously wringing his hands. "Felix, we have a mission to focus on! We can't return to Vale! Not at this time!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kraden," Felix said, getting a bit annoyed. "We can focus on our mission afterwards. We're just making a quick visit to upper Angara!"

"Felix, you don't understand!" Kraden tried to reason, his voice getting louder. "There are places we're not suppose to go to! You'll be entering into unknown territory!"

Felix could hardly believe this. Had all the studying cause the old man to really lose his marbles? Regardless, Felix pursued with his new quest, now very close to the gap. "Kraden, this isn't unknown territory! We've explored Angara before."

"But not like this! Felix, I'm warning you! You shouldn't! You mustn't! You can't!"

"Okay, we're here!" Felix announced, ignoring the older man and relieved that they had finally made it. The Venus adept carefully positioned the bow of the ship as deep into the gap as it could make it. Then, after giving the signal to Ivan, the Jupiter adept gingerly lowered the ship back down, successfully giving the ship a safe landing. Finally, the Earth adept shouted to the bow of the ship, where Piers and Isaac were. "How does it look, you two?"

The Lemurian and Valian peered over the edge to check the drop.

"A bit rocky, but the ground's not too far away," Isaac answered, looking back at Felix. "We should be able to get down relatively easy with a rope ladder."

"Excellent, prepare the ladder."

Kraden looked hopelessly at the situation: Piers and Isaac were gathering the rope and preparing to tie it to the railing and the other adepts were heading towards the bow, excitedly talking about upper Angara. But Kraden couldn't give up yet! He had to try to stop them!

"Felix, please!" Kraden desperately pleaded. "This is a terrible mistake! Please, let us be on our way to Prox and forget about this! You don't know what you're doing!"

Felix had just about had it. He gave a sharp glare to the old man and stated very firmly, "Kraden, we are going back to Vale. If you don't want to come, you can stay here on the ship. But the rest of us would like to visit our friends. So enough from you!"

With that, Felix and the others moved to the bow of the ship and prepared to go down the rope. Kraden could only shake his head sadly as he watched the adepts take turns going down. He had tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen. They would have to learn the hard way.

"Those poor bastards."

Meanwhile, on the rail on the starboard side of the ship, Flint sat and stared out towards the bow.

"Meet Felix: an eighteen year old Venus Adept, out on a mission to lit the lighthouses and save the world. He and his team of unlikely heroes have just finished preparations to travel to Prox, where the final lighthouse remains. However, it appears Felix has discovered a way to return his home, a place he hasn't lived in for many, many years. But what Felix and his friends will realize is that they didn't just step into Angara; they stepped into the area known only as the-"

"Flint!" Fever called out, getting really baffled by the Earth Djinni. "What is with you?"

"Ah, finally!" Felix said, setting his feet on the ground. He was the last to go down the ladder, and he was glad to be rid of Kraden's incessant nagging.

* * *

"This is going to be so great!" Jenna said excitedly. "I can't wait to see everyone from Vale!"

"Yeah, and I look forward to seeing Master Hammet in Kalay," Ivan added.

"We're just going to need to be careful about reaching Vale," Sheba warned, remembering Alex's past words. "We should try to avoid Tolbi, lest we want to be attacked by an angry mob of people who claim that we're responsible for Babi's death."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem," Ivan replied. "We took the path to Gondowan Cave to get back to upper Angara before, so we can do it again. And I think I still remember where it's located."

"Then let's get going!" Garet shouted, fidgeting a big. "I really wanna see my family again!"

Felix nodded. "Okay Ivan, lead the way."

Ivan began walking in the direction of Gondowan Cave, the others following behind him. Mia grinned to herself, thinking how nice it would be to see the villagers of Vale again. She glanced around the group to see the excitement of the others, and that's when she noticed someone was missing. 'Where's Isaac?'

The Mercury clan member turned around to see a certain blond Venus adept standing where they had landed, staring quite intently at one the mountains. Not wanting him to fall completely behind, Mia ran up to him.

"Isaac, what are you doing? We're leaving to get to Vale."

"Huh?" Isaac snapped out of his intense staring and turned towards the Imilian. "Oh, Mia. Sorry, I just got distracted."

Mia arched an eyebrow. "Distracted by a mountain?"

"No! Not like that," the Venus adept quickly said, a little flustered. Calming down, he turned back to the mountain and placed a hand on its rocky wall. "Like… I feel as though something is missing."

"Missing? What do you mean?"

"Mia, don't you remember Altmiller Cave being here? I mean, am I crazy or was it right here?"

Mia wasn't expecting Isaac to say something like this. Caves couldn't disappear without a trace, right? That was ridiculous. Still, she looked at the mountain and the area surrounding it. It was quite a while ago, but this place did seem familiar. And perhaps was this the path they traveled to get to the cave? And wasn't the cave right where Isaac's hand was located on the mountain? However, Mia's common sense got the better of her.

"Isaac, perhaps you're remembering things wrong," she responded to Isaac (though it may have been mostly to herself). "I mean, it has been awhile since we've been here. Maybe things seem familiar, but this can't be the same place."

The blond adept nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess you have a point. I could have sworn this was the place, but perhaps it's not."

"It's fine. Anyways, we better get going. The others are already well ahead of it. Come on."

Mia started running back to meet with the their companions. Isaac took one last look at the mountain and then chased after her, trying to concentrate on his excitement of going back home. But still, in the back of his mind, were feelings of unease. Did he merely forget the location of the cave or had it truly vanished? Isaac began to grow pale.

* * *

"Are we almost there?"

"Soon Jenna!" Ivan answered, still leading the group. "The cave should be just a little further down this way…Wait, I think I see it."

The Jupiter adept ran forward down the path, bringing himself next to a small mountain. He looked around at the surrounding area and grinned. 'Yup, I remember this place! This is definitely it!'

"Okay guys!" Ivan called back to the group. "Gondowan Cave should be right in front of this mountain!"

With that, Jenna ran forward, the others following her at their own pace. She raced passed Ivan and ran to the front of the mountain, a big smile on her face the whole time. However, when she turned to look at the mountain, her smile instantly dropped. "Ivan, where's the cave?"

Ivan cocked his head to one side in confusion. "What do you mean? It should be right there, in front of the mountain."

"Ivan, all I see is this mountain."

The Jupiter adept shook his head and started walking towards Jenna. "Jenna, what are you-"

Ivan stopped midsentence when his eyes came in contact with the front of the mountain: no cave. Just a bare, stone wall. "No, this can't be!"

Ivan rushed up to the mountain and began rapidly rubbing and patting the wall, hopelessly trying to discover the cave. "No! It was right here! I swear it!"

"What's going on?" Felix asked, as he and the rest of the group met up with Jenna.

"It seems Ivan here forget where Gondowan Cave is."

Ivan instantly stopped rubbing the wall and slightly glared at Jenna. "No! I did not forget! It was here!" The Jupiter adept ran up to his original three companions. "Garet, Mia, Isaac, you can back me up on this, right? You remember the cave, right?"

"Sorry, little guy," Garet said, shrugging. "I have enough trouble remembering where I put my own stuff in my room."

Mia looked around nervously. "I'm sorry Ivan, but I don't really remember that well…"

Isaac remained silent, appearing quite pale.

"Come on, guys!" Ivan desperately cried out. "You got to believe me! The cave was here!"

"Ivan, caves do not vanish into thin air without any trace," Piers reasoned. "You probably just forgot."

His disbelief getting the best of him, Ivan sunk to his knees. "No… no… it was here…"

"Regardless," Felix began, trying to get off of this topic, "we need to find another way to Vale. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Perhaps the Silk Road?" Jenna suggested. "I know it was blocked by that landslide earlier, but maybe they finally cleared it up?"

"It would be our only option since we definitely need to stay clear of Tolbi and its docks," Sheba added, a bit quickly.

The eighteen-year-old Venus adept nodded. "Okay, that it's decided: We'll head North and take the Silk Road path, making sure to stay far away from Tolbi."

With the exception of Ivan, the others gave a nod of approval, Sheba even giving a slight sigh of relief. As they began to turn around and head North, Mia leaned over next to Ivan and touched his shoulder. "Come on, Ivan. We need to get going."

But Ivan refused to budge, only muttering, "It was here… it was here…"

"Ivan, don't worry about it. It's that not big of an issue," Mia tried to comfort the younger teenager. "We need to leave now. Don't you want to see Kalay again?"

"…" Ivan slowly got up and began to follow the rest of the group with Mia, though he still appeared quite shocked and worried.

Isaac, still looking pale, looked back at the young Jupiter adept with pity and slight fear. 'This just keeps getting weirder.'

* * *

"Yes!" Jenna cheered as the group successfully made it to the land on the other side of Karagol Sea. "I knew the landslide would be cleared up!"

"Yeah, good thinking, Jenna," Felix praised his younger sister. "Vale shouldn't be too far away now."

"Hmmmm," Piers said, bringing a hand up to his chin as he continued to walk with the group.

Sheba noticed the Lemurian thinking and had her curiosity get the better of her. "Something wrong, Piers?"

"Sheba, don't you think we got through that path rather quickly and easily, almost _too_ quickly and easily?"

"Huh?" the young Jupiter adept was taken back by that accusation. "Piers, neither of us has traveled the Silk Road before. How can you make that assumption?"

"Well, we may have never traveled it, but don't you think it would have taken longer to travel around a large lake? Plus, there weren't any puzzles we had to navigate through, and don't paths like this always call for odd puzzles to solve?"

But before Sheba could answer, a loud scream sounded before them. There, in the front of the group, was Ivan: collapsed upon to his knees once again, looking completely distraught and downright shocked as he stared ahead. The others gathered around the crestfallen teenager, concerned and confused as to why he was acting this way as he was staring out at a blank space. He could only mutter one word in a soft whisper: "Kalay…"

Mia brought her hands to her mouth, realization sinking in. "Oh no…"

Garet shook his head slowly. "This can't… this can't be…"

"…" Isaac grew even paler.

"Wait…" Felix slowly began, looking out at the empty space. "Is Ivan saying… that Kalay… used to be there?"

"No!" Jenna shouted suddenly. "There's no way that can be true! That's not possible! Ivan just probably forgot again!"

"But Ivan wouldn't forget the place where he grew up," Mia countered, her voice a bit shaky. "Also, I'm fairly certain that I remember Kalay being here…"

"But towns can't vanish! Not like that!" Felix argued, refusing to believe this nonsense. "There's no trace! It couldn't have just gone away without a trace!"

"But the same thing happened with Tolbi!" Sheba blurted out in a rather shrill and frantic voice.

Everyone (minus Ivan who was still in shock) turned their attention to the female Jupiter adept, who looked scared.

"I… I didn't want to say anything," Sheba began, nervously fidgeting with her staff, "but I realized it when we were looking for Gondowan Cave, While we were on our way, I was constantly checking the distance to make sure we didn't get close to Tolbi. I knew we would be far for from it, but I thought it odd that I didn't see an outline or anything. I didn't want to believe that it would be completely gone, but… if the same thing has occurred with Kalay…"

The adepts stayed silent for a few moments, letting the reality of the situation sink it. It was absolutely absurd, to think that towns could completely vanish. But what other explanation was there?

Finally, Ivan broke the silence with a soft, shaky voice. "M-master Hammet…. Lady Layana… m-my childhoo-hood… g-gone…" The poor teenager then buried his face in his hands and began to cry.

"Ivan…" Mia said sorrowfully, reaching down to comfort the distraught young teenager.

Piers ran a hand through his hair anxiously. "I've never experienced anything like this. It's freaking me out!"

"Why is this happening?" Garet cried out to the skies. "Are we bad people?"

"What if Vale is gone, too?" Jenna asked, panic growing in her voice. "What if everyone has vanished? What if-"

"NO!" Felix boomed out, grabbing everyone's attention. His companions seemed to be becoming more manic, but he was not going to have them lose their minds. "Guys, I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation. Like… maybe the towns relocated to another location."

"Yeah because towns can definitely get up and walk to another place…"

"Regardless," Felix continued, ignoring Sheba's comment, "let's just get back to our original plan of getting to Vale. Maybe we can get some answers there."

Slowly, the rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement. There were very reluctant and unsure, but they held onto hope that the one place they were traveling to was still intact.

"Okay, let's get going."

Felix began to lead the group, feeling much less enthused than he was at the beginning of the journey. The others followed, Mia helping Ivan go forward as he was still terribly distraught. The air among the group was very tense, everyone feeling an unsettling knot in their stomachs.

Isaac looked paler than the moon.

* * *

But when the group reached the spot of land where Vault originally stood, almost all hope was lost.

Ivan began to cry again. "No, Vault! Why!?"

"How can this be happening!?" Garet cried out, clenching the sides of his head. "Vault was just fine when we left it!"

"This just doesn't add up," Sheba said, her voice wary. "This is completely unheard of and impossible…"

"And not only that," Mia began, grabbing at her dress out of anxiety, "but does anyone feel like we've going across Angara rather quickly? We traveled all the way from the other side and it's not even dark!"

Piers nodded, his face tight. "I was thinking the same thing…"

"Guys! Come on! Get a hold of yourselves!" Felix desperately tried to boast up the moral of the group. Everything was looking more and more grim, but he wasn't about to give up. "We're almost to Vale! We have to keep going!"

"But what if Vale isn't even there!?" Jenna cried out, now on the verge of tears. "What do we do then!?"

"Jenna! Everyone! We can't think about that! Who knows? Maybe Vale is okay. Maybe everyone is taking refuge in Vale!"

"…" Isaac had grown whiter than a conservative Republican trapped in a snowstorm.

"Guys! Please!"

Reluctantly, once again, the group gathered themselves as much as they could and continued onto the path to Vale. But they weren't looking good at all: Ivan was still sniffling, Jenna was nervously twirling her hair and breathing a bit heavy, Garet still had his head clenched, Sheba kept fidgeting and looking back and forth, Mia was bitting her nails, Piers kept stiff, Felix remained perfectly silent, and Isaac was whiter than rice. They could only pray that Vale was still there, pray that there was still something left in Angara. Something that made sense.

Soon enough they reached a hill. In normal circumstances, after reaching the top the hill, they would be able to see Vale from below. However, these definitely weren't normal circumstances, so who knew what to expect?

"Okay guys," Felix started, addressing his apprehensive and disturbed companions. "I'm going to go to the top of the hill. Stay here for now, and I'll let you know what I see."

The Venus adept began making the journey up the hill, the other adepts watching him intently. They feared the worst as he made those steps, reaching closer and closer to the top. The Valians were perhaps the most nervous. Jenna kept chanting to herself, 'Oh please, oh please, oh please!' Garet could barely watch Felix continue up. And Isaac was so pale that… while… he was just really pale, okay!?

Felix had just about reached the top. Just a couple more steps, and he would be able to see the other side. He felt anxiety get the best of him as he neared and finished the remaining steps with his eyes closed. After reaching the top, he remained for a few moments, breathing rather quickly.

'Relax, Felix,' he tried to calm himself. 'You can do this. Just open your eyes and you'll see that Vale has been there the entire time.'

Though he wasn't completely convinced that his hometown would be there, he mustered enough courage to open his eyes. He slowly opened his eyelids, blinking a few times to allow them to adjust, and then looked down to see…

"Guys! It's here! Vale is here!"

Jenna's face instantly lit up as she saw her brother relay the news from the top of hill, a huge grin completely taking up his face. "Really!? Is it true!?"

"Come see for yourselves!"

Now fulfilled with renewed hope, the adepts raced up to the top of the hill to join Felix. And indeed, as they looked down, they saw the landscape of Vale, still there and in its proper place.

Isaac had finally regained color in his skin. "Thank the elements! I thought Vale would be gone for sure!"

"Yes!" Garet cheered, punching the air with his fist in celebration. "Our friends and family are safe!"

Jenna began jumping up and down in excitement. "I'm so happy! I can't wait any longer! Look out Vale: I'm back!"

The auburn Mars adept started racing down the hill, intent on returning to her hometown after being away for so long. She was quickly followed by Felix, Isaac, and Garet, who were also quite excited to go home. The other adepts couldn't help by beam brightly, thankful that not everything had changed.

"I'm so glad that they get to return home," Mia said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Ivan nodded in agreement, now having calmed down. "Yeah, and maybe Felix was right. Maybe others are taking refuge in Vale."

"Yes, but I can't help but think how strange this been," Piers stated, bringing a hand to his chin in thought. "The other towns disappearing and how quick we seem to moving… It doesn't make sense."

"Well, perhaps there are answers in Vale," Sheba suggested. "Regardless, let's take comfort in that fact that one town remains and relax in Vale."

But it appeared Sheba may have spoken too soon. Just then, a blood curdling scream sounded from down across the hill. The Mercury and Jupiter adepts instantly looked back to Vale and came across a horrifying sight: The Valians appeared to be walking on top of Vale. Like, literally on top of their hometown.

At first, they couldn't believe it. They raced down the hill and ran towards the village of Vale. But as they neared, they could no longer deny it. Although it looked like Vale was fine from the top of the hill, it was all an illusion. Vale, in actuality, had become a flat image on the ground, with Jenna, Felix, Garet, and Isaac on top. This had just about done it for the adepts.

Jenna went into hysterics, tears running down her face as she collapsed onto her eyes. "Is this some kind of a cruel joke!? Why is this happening!? WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS!?"

"It's just wrong! It's wrong, wrong, wrong!" Garet screamed, shaking his head in a frenzy.

Poor Isaac had lost all his color once again and full out fainted. Ivan dropped onto to the ground and went back to crying, no longer able to stand for this insanity. Mia and Sheba grabbed each other, shaking uncontrollably at the sheer horror of everything. Even Felix could no longer remain calm. Glaring up at the heavens, he screamed, "Where the hell do you get off!? Is this making you happy!? Why? Why!? WHY!?"

Piers breathed heavily, panic growing in him. He looked back and forth at all the terrified adepts, at all the hysteria. 'This is insane! I have to end to it before we completely loss it.' Reaching into his pouch, he grabbed the Teleport Gem, thankful that it had been given to him. Running to the center of the chaos, he equipped the gem and prepared his Psynergy.

"Hang on, kids!" he said, Psynergy beginning to swirl around his body. "We're leaving this asylum!"

The light from the Psynergy continued to grow, surrounded the whole group. The light grew bigger and larger until it blocked out everything else. And then, in just a few seconds…

* * *

"Ah, Weyard's heroes have returned."

Kraden looked at the group of young adepts, who had just teleported back onto the Lemurian ship. They all appeared a wreck: Mia and Sheba desperately clinging to each other, Jenna and Ivan with bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down their faces, Garet, Felix, and Piers with faces of stricken with terror and horror, and Isaac very pale and passed out. The old man just shook his head. "I warned you."

There was only silence from the group.

"Some things are not meant to explored. Not yet."

More silence.

"You have a duty to finish. Only after that can you return. Until then, don't mess with things that shouldn't be messed with."

Continued silence.

"Well, get yourselves together, kids. The Mars Lighthouse isn't going to light itself." With that, Kraden retired to below the deck. The group of adepts continued to sit in silence, slowly gaining control over themselves and letting everything sink in. What they experienced and what Kraden said… did they really cross such a forbidden line?

The silence was broken when a slight grunt sounded from Isaac. The blonde Venus adept slowly stood up, feeling a bit dazed. He looked at the other adepts, then to Loho, and then back to the adepts. Finally, he spoke: "Do you guys remember how we were talking about how the Dwarves reproduced?"

Small grunts sounded from the adepts, as they were still shaken from the ordeal.

"I don't think I want to know anymore."

Isaac earned nods of approval.

Meanwhile, at the bow of the boat, Flint stood onto top of the dragon's head, looking out at the gap that had started the madness.

"They say curiosity killed cat. A simple phrase, but something this group of young heroes will never take lightly again. They were curious to return to more familiar lands, but they never imagined they were messing with something beyond belief. An area they were never supposed to explore. Only after they continue with their journey can they ever return home. So they'll continue with their mission. They'll restore balance to Weyard. But they'll never forget their terrible trip into The Golden Zone."

Fever, who had been standing on the deck next to Flint, narrowed her eyes again. "Golden Zone? Really?"

"Yes, the Golden Zone."

"Flint, you are so weird."

"I will take that as a compliment.

* * *

This turned out longer than I expected, but I hope it was fun to read. It was certainly amusing to write. Anyways, I was thinking about turning this into a series of stories, like "Tales from The Golden Zone" or something. However, I'm not sure what other glitches I can convert into a story. I suppose I could always create idea myself, but I don't know. What do you guys think? Want anymore?

Regardless, hope you liked my story! And feel free to leave a review if you want to tell me your thoughts! Thanks!


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